Age of Competition?

Tensions between China and the United States continue to make headlines on a frequent basis, and we can continue to expect this mounting tension to continue. On the economic front, the ongoing US-China Trade War is an oft cited consequence of this tension. Through this dashboard, we hope to shed light into another economic frontier of the competition between the US and China – their foreign investments to other countries, around the world.

China’s continued growth, and success in establishing itself as a global superpower is contingent on the volume of its foreign direct investment. Beyond being one way that China might continue to gain influence, foreign investments are one key way for China to garner more strategic resources, which will increase its economic competitiveness.

Claims on the volume of foreign investments, both by China and the United States, are best mapped out with data. In this dashboard, we map out the contours of the US-China competition in investments. We do this at the level of the entire world, and also at the level of a single continent, Africa, where both US and Chinese Investments have been on the rise over the years; it is one key part of the world where experts expect US-China competition to intensify.

Image Source: Henry Wong for the South China Morning Post

Commentary

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Big Map - Frame 1

Overview

The following page displays the yearly amount of Chinese investments overseas from 2005 to 2020. The amounts are sorted by three categories: 1. the ten largest investment destinations, 2. the ten largest Chinese investors and 3. industry sectors. Chinese investments overseas generally reached a peak in the late 2010s, which preceded a slowdown in the following years. The United States is the top investment destination for Chinese investors and the energy sector is consistently the top sector for Chinese investment. There is no one Chinese investor that has dominated Chinese investment overseas.

Top 10 Investment Destinations

Top 10 Chinese Investors

Chinese Investments by Sector

FDI Outflows as a percentage of GDP

This segment displays line graphs of how the US and China both seen rising FDI outflows over the years. Notably, however, one can note how China’s rise in FDI outflows have mostly been linear, while the US’ seem to fluctuate over time, possibly due to the policies of different Presidential administrations.

Rising FDI Outflows

Rising FDI Outflows (Data)

Commentary

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Frame 3

World Map

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Rising Tensions

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Africa

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